An Account how the Earl of Essex killed himself in the Tower of London, the 13th of July 1683 as it appears by the coroners inquest and the several informations following.

An Account how the Earl of Essex killed himself in the Tower of London, the 13th of July 1683 as it appears by the coroners inquest and the several informations following.

Table of contents

Title page

THe Information of Paul Bomeny, Servant to the Earl of Essex, for about Three or Four Years now last past; taken upon Oath the Fourteenth Day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi Dei Gratia, Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae & Hiberniae Regis, Fidei Defensoris, &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno que Domini, 1683.

THe Information of Thomas Russel one of the Warders of the Tower, who had the Custody of the Earl of Essex, taken the Fourteenth day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi, Dei Gratia Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae Regis, Fidei Defensor', &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno que Dom. 1683.

THe Information of Robert Sherwood of Fanchurch Street, Chyrurgion, taken the Fourteenth day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi, Dei Gratia, Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae Regis, Fidei Defensor', &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno que Dom. 1683.

THe Information of Robert Andrews of Crutchet Friers Chyrurgion taken upon Oath the Fourteenth day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi nunc Regis Angliae, &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno que Dom' 1683.

Turr' London ss.

§

§

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[Page] AN ACCOUNT HOW THE Earl of Essex Killed Himself in the Tower of London, The 13th. of July 1683.

As it appears by the Coroners Inquest, and the several Informations following.

DIEV ET MON DROIT

LONDON: Printed by the Assigns of John Bill Deceas'd: And by Henry Hills, and Thomas Newcomb, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, 1683.

THe Information of Paul Bomeny, Servant to the Earl of Essex, for about Three or Four Years now last past; taken upon Oath the Fourteenth Day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi Dei Gratia, Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae & Hiberniae Regis, Fidei Defensoris, &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno (que) Domini, 1683.

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SAith, That when my Lord came to Captain Hawley, which was the Eleventh Instant, my Lord of Essex asked him for a Pen-Knife to Pare his Nails, as he was wont to do; to which this Informant answered, Being come in haste he had not brought it, but he would send for one, and accordingly sent the Footman with a Note for several things for my Lord, amongst which the Pen-Knife was inserted; and the Footman went, and gave the Bill to my Lords Steward, who sent the Provisions, but not the Pen-Knife, and he told the Footman, He would get one the next day. When the Footman was come, my Lord asked, If the Pen-Knife was come? This Informant answered, No; but he should have it the next day, and accordingly, he on the Twelfth Instant in the morning, before my Lord of Essex was up, this Informant sent the Footman home with a Note to the Steward, in which, amongst other things, he asked for a Pen-Knife for my Lord; and when the Footman was gone, about, or a little after Eight of the Clock, my Lord sent one Mr. Russell, his Warder, to this Informant, who came, and then he asked him, If the Pen-Knife was come? This Informant said, No, my Lord, but I shall have it by and by; to which my Lord said, That he should bring him one of his Rasours, it would do as well; And then this Informant went and [Page] fetched one, and gave it my Lord; Who then went to Pare his Nails, and then this Informant went out of the Room into the Passage by the Door, on Friday the Thirteenth Instant, and begun to talk with the Warder, and a little while after he went down Stairs; and soon after came the Footman with the Provisions, and brought also a Pen-Knife, which this Informant put upon his Bed, and thought my Lord had no more need of it, because he thought he had Pared his Nails; and then this Informant came up to my Lords Chamber, about Eight or Nine in the Forenoon on Friday the Thirteenth Instant, with a little Note from the Steward; but not finding his Lord in the Chamber, went to the Close-stool Closet Door, and found it shut; And he thinking his Lord was busie there, went down, and staid a little, and came up again, thinking his Lord had been come out of the Closet; And finding him not in the Chamber, he knocked at the Door with his Finger, Thrice, and said, My Lord? But no body answering, he took up the Hanging, and looking through the Chink, he saw blood, and a part of the Rasour; Whereupon he called the Warder, Russell, and went down to call for help; and the said Russell pushed the Door open, and there they saw my Lord of Essex all along the Floor, without a Periwig, and all full of blood, and the Rasour by him. And this Deponent further Deposeth, That the Rasour now shewed to him, at the time of his Examination, is the same Rasour which he did bring to my Lord, and which did lye on the ground in the Closet, by my Lord.

BOMENY.

THe Information of Thomas Russel one of the Warders of the Tower, who had the Custody of the Earl of Essex, taken the Fourteenth day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi, Dei Gratia Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae Regis, Fidei Defensor', &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno (que) Dom. 1683.

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SAith, That on Friday the Thirteenth Instant, about Eight or nine of the Clock in the Forenoon, he was present when he did hear the Lord of Essex call to his Man Mr. Bomeny for a Pen-knife to pare his nails, and then for a Rasour, which Mr. Bomeny brought him, and then my Lord walked up and down the Room scraping his nails with the Rasour, and shut the outward door; Mr. Bomeny, half a quarter of an hour afterwards, not finding my Lord in his Bed-Chamber, went down stairs again, believing that my Lord was then private in his Closet. Bomeny came up about a quarter of an hour afterwards, and knocked at the door, then called, My Lord, My Lord, My Lord; but he not answering, peeped through a Chink of the door, and did see the Earl of Essex lying on the ground in the Closet, whereupon he did cry out, That my Lord was faln down sick; and then this Informant went to the Closet-door, and opened it, the Key being on the outside, and then did see my Lord lie on the ground in his bloud, his Throat being cut.

Tho. Russell.

THe Information of Robert Sherwood of Fanchurch Street, Chyrurgion, taken the Fourteenth day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi, Dei Gratia, Angliae, Scotiae, Franciae, & Hiberniae Regis, Fidei Defensor', &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno (que) Dom. 1683.

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SAith, That he hath viewed the Throat of the Earl of Essex, and does find that there is a large Wound, and that the Aspera Arteria, or Wind-pipe, and the Gullet, with the Jugular Arteries, are all divided: Of which Wound he certainly died.

Robert Sherwood.

THe Information of Robert Andrews of Crutchet Friers Chyrurgion taken upon Oath the Fourteenth day of July, Anno Regni Caroli Secundi nunc Regis Angliae, &c. Tricesimo Quinto, Anno (que) Dom' 1683.

SAith, That he hath viewed the Throat of the Lord of Essex, and does find, That it was cut from the one Jugular to the other, and through the Wind-pipe and Gullet, unto the Vertebres of the Neck, both Jugular Veins being also quite divided.

Robert Andrews.

Turr' London ss.

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AN Inquisition Indented, Taken at the Tower of London, in the County of Middlesex, the fourteenth day of July, in the Five and Thirtieth Year of the Reign of Our Soveraign Lord Charles the Second, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Anno (que) Dom. 1683. before Edward Farnham Esq Coroner of the said Lord the King, of the Liberty of the Tower of London, upon view of the Body of Arthur Earl of Essex then and there lying Dead, by the Oaths of Daniel Colwell Esq William Fisher, Thomas Godfel Esq Thomas Hunt, Nathaniel Mountney Esq Thomas Potter, William How, Robert Burgoine, Eleazar Wiggins, Thomas Hoggsflesh, Henry Cripps, Richard Rudder, William Knipps, John Hudson, John Kittlebeater, Lancolet Colson, Morgan Cowarn, Thomas Bryan, William Thaxton, Richard Cliffe, Zebadiah Richard, William Bayford, and Theophilus Charter, good and lawful men of the Liberty of the Tower of London aforesaid, who being Charged and Sworn to enquire how and in what manner the said Arthur Earl of Essex came to his Death, upon their Oaths say, That the aforesaid Arthur Earl of Essex the Thirteenth day of July, in the said Five and thirtieth Year of his now Majesties Reign, at the said Tower of London, in the faid County of Middlesex, about the Ninth hour of the same day in the Forenoon, not having God before his eyes, [Page] but being moved and seduced by the Instigation of the Devil, of his Malice forethought at the Tower of London aforesaid, in the said County of Middlesex, then and there being alone in a Closet, with one Rasour of the value of one shilling, Voluntarily and Feloniously Cut his Throat, and did thereby give himself one Mortal Wound, it being cut from the one Jugular to the other, and through the Wind-pipe and Gullet unto the Vertebres of the Neck, both Jugular Veins being also quite Divided; of which said Mortal Wound the said Arthur Earl of Essex instantly Died; and thus the aforesaid Jurors, upon their Oaths say, That the aforesaid Arthur Earl of Essex, in Manner and Form aforesaid, did Voluntarily and Feloniously, as Felo de se, Kill and Murther himself, against the Peace of our Lord the King, His Crown and Dignity. In Witness whereof as well I the said Coroner, as the Jurors aforesaid, to this Inquisition have put our Hands and Seals, the Day and Year abovesaid.

Vera Copia Examin'cum Originali, Per.

E. FARNHAM.

FINIS.

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Information about this book

Title statement

An Account how the Earl of Essex killed himself in the Tower of London, the 13th of July 1683 as it appears by the coroners inquest and the several informations following.

Edition statement

1683

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2006-02 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A24269

ID [STC]

Wing A175

ID [STC]

ESTC R6078

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

11490583

ID [OCLC]

ocm 11490583

ID [VID]

47826

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Early English books online.

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A24269)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 47826)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2:11)

Source

— An Account how the Earl of Essex killed himself in the Tower of London, the 13th of July 1683 as it appears by the coroners inquest and the several informations following.,

Extent

8 p.

Printed by the assigns of John Bill ... and by Henry Hills and Thomas Newcomb ...,. London :: 1683.. (Royal arms (Steele 88) on t.p.) (The official report, signed by the coroner at end: E. Farnham.) (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.)

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